Personal Security in the Age of Digital Assistants

Fully-realized artificial intelligence has long been the holy grail for daydreamers and forward-thinking inventors alike. We aren’t quite there yet, but modern virtual assistants are making the case that we aren’t so very far off. Whether it’s a feature integrated into your smartphone or a standalone assistant like the Amazon Echo, digital assistants have shown great strides in the ability to recognize and parse your spoken commands and respond to them appropriately. This, combined with advances in home automation and ever-improving artificial intelligence software, has put virtually your entire home at the control of your fingertips – and your voice. Unfortunately, this new tech has also raised a number of thorny issues regarding personal privacy and security. As we increasingly accept digital assistants into our private lives, can we trust…